


Beach-slapped

by belikebeebo



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ava secretly loves it, AvaLance, Dancing, Day At The Beach, Drinking, F/F, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Holiday, Kissing, Sara is cheeky, Sort of enemies to friends, Summer, beach, cocktails
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:08:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26581165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belikebeebo/pseuds/belikebeebo
Summary: Totally AU. Ava meets Sara and her friends out on the beach on a rare day off. She gets hit, she gets hit on, but will they hit it off?OR:Ava gets beach-slapped.
Relationships: Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Comments: 12
Kudos: 88
Collections: Avalance Book Club Holiday Exchange Midyear 2020 Edition





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AvaHasAClosetMurderBoard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvaHasAClosetMurderBoard/gifts).



> This is my fic for the Avalance Book Club Discord Server Holiday Exchange Midyear 2020 Edition (that's a mouthful, innit!) - gifted to a very special and lovely person, I hope you like it!
> 
> Many thanks also to my ficthusiast @LanceALotz, without whom I'd have no ideas, no words and no will to write.

Ava hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long while. The sun was beating down fiercely on her skin, but not enough to make it uncomfortably hot. A light breeze softly stroked her skin to counteract the rays. Beach days like this were rare, especially since any kind of holiday was rare enough for her. She was grateful to have beautiful weather on these few days she had off from her demanding job as a high government official. The sounds of the waves lapping at the shore, far‑away kids playing and birds in the breeze almost lulled her to sleep. Almost – because the minute she felt herself drift away, she was brusquely awakened by a cloud of sand to her face.

“Hey!” she exclaimed angrily.

She leaned up on her elbow, spitting out sand as she looked up to glare at the culprit. Her gaze drifted up from pale legs to a pale bare belly to many, many freckles and a big sun hat covering big sunglasses that covered most of a blonde woman’s face.

“Oh my god, I’m so, so sorry. We were just playing beach volleyball and I was chasing a stray ball here,” the woman said. Her tone was apologetic, but her lips were almost curled up into a smirk. 

“Are you okay?” The woman crouched down and took off her sunglasses to look at her directly. Ava found herself startled by the bright blue eyes staring back at her – bright and barely hiding a glint.

“Yeah. Just not a fan of eating sand,” Ava replied lamely, trying to get her bearings. It annoyed her that she wasn’t more annoyed at being rudely covered in sand by this woman with her cheeky half-smile – she’d been ready to give some kid a good telling off.

“Here, have some water.” The woman produced a bottle of water, which Ava gladly accepted. She took a sip to rinse out her mouth.

“You know, we,” the woman spoke again as she waved vaguely in the direction of a group of people some distance away, “couldn’t help but notice you’ve been here all by yourself for a while… and we happen to be a player short in our game. Now, as much as I like to win, I like to win fair, so how about you join us?” The woman ended her invitation with a wide, hopeful smile.

“Thanks, but I don’t think so. I’m just here to relax and enjoy the sun.”

“Are you sure, ‘cause—” the woman tried, but Ava cut her off.

“Yeah, I’m sure. But thanks, anyway.” She gave the woman a tight smile and turned to lay down on her back, indicating that this conversation was over. The woman seemed to have taken the hint – when Ava cracked open an eye from behind her sunglasses, she’d already re-joined her group.

***

It couldn’t have been more than ten, fifteen minutes later. She was in that lovely quiet state between dreaming and waking, feeling warm and content when she suddenly felt a strong slap against her leg. She shot up angrily, squinting her eyes from behind her glasses as she glared at the ball that hit her. The woman from before wasn’t far behind, now running up towards her again.

“Geeze, I’m really sorry about that. These guys are just terrible at beach volleyball, I don’t know why I even bother!” the blonde woman exclaimed as she jogged up to retrieve the ball. She’d foregone the hat and glasses, but was still sporting that bright smile.

Ava sighed deeply and laid back down with a groan. Despite her annoyance, the woman was cute and she just really wanted her not to be so that she’d be able to get angrier at her. Now it just made her frustrated and she was not in the mood.

“Look, why don’t I just move a bit further away so I stay out of the danger zone?” Ava suggested, trying to stay civil.

“Or, you know, you could join us?” the woman replied with what looked like an attempt at a wink – either that or she was just squinting at the sun.

This time Ava’s annoyance did take over, since this woman was determined not to let up and was quickly getting on her last nerve. “I don’t even know you. Why do you think I’d want to join a bunch of strangers to go and sweat in this heat?”

“Okay, well, I’m Sara,” the blonde said as she put out a hand, “and those are my friends Zari, Nate, Amaya and Ray. Now that you know us, will you join in? It’ll be a good time, I promise.”

Ava just stared at the proffered hand as if it was covered in slimy warts. “I’m good, _Sara_ , but thanks. Again.” She got up and grabbed her towel, book and bag before moving a few paces further down the beach, not bothering to look back at the woman who was – arguably and frustratingly– kind of charming in her persistence.

“Okay, well, if you change your mind…” she heard her say from where she left her.

“I won’t,” Ava mumbled to herself as she settled back down on her beach towel, adjusting her hat over her eyes to block out more of her surroundings.

***

The third time she was hit by something, it wasn’t sand or a ball, but a person. And this time, it was actual anger that took over when she saw the blonde hair and blue swimsuit she recognised by now. She shot up once again, shoving at the body over her. Her anger made her briefly unaware that she was touching a bare thigh. She pulled her hand back as if she’d been burnt, blushing furiously. “Damn it, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

The woman, Sara, crawled off her legs and held up her hands. “Don’t hate me! The guys were chasing me to get the ball back and I just ran without looking. I’m really, really sorry!”

“Right,” Ava almost spit out. “Am I supposed to believe all this crap? Why don’t you leave me alone? What do you want from me?” her voice reached an almost exasperated pitch with those last words.

Sara gave her a hesitant, slightly shy smile which seemed more genuine than any of the ones before. “I was just trying to get you to join our game, we’re—”

“A player short, right, so you said,” Ava interrupted, her initial anger slipping away slightly. “I thought I was pretty clear that I wasn’t interested. I just want to relax.”

“Okay, look,” Sara sighed. “I’ll be honest. I think you’re beautiful and I was trying to get your attention, but I also really did want to get you to join. I thought it could be fun, for you and for us.”

Ava tilted her head to give a snarky reply, but found that no words came to her but “oh.” She was taken aback by the earnest admission and the openness in both Sara’s words and face.

“I’ll leave you alone if you really don’t want to play, but can I at least get your name? Maybe buy you a drink at the beach bar later?” The look on Sara’s face was nothing short of puppy eyes, and her winning smile made it so that Ava found herself unable to say no. She took a beat and a breath before making her decision. 

“Alright. Okay… I’m Ava,” she said as she turned her half-smile into a look of mock-seriousness, eyebrow raised, “and I feel I gotta warn you… I’m excellent at beach volleyball.” Before she could get a reply or see Sara’s reaction, she’d jumped up with her things and made her way to Sara’s friends who were waiting for her to get back. She turned around when she was halfway to see Sara hurrying to catch up, a smirk dancing on her lips.

“Come on, then!” Ava called out. “Get ready to get your ass kicked!”


	2. Chapter 2

“Sara, hey! Finally, you guys made it!” Ray shouted at her from the spot on the beach they had claimed as theirs for the past week. “I hope you brought plenty of water, it’s a scorcher today!” he added as they approached.

“Err, we have beers?” Sara replied as she held up a six-pack. A few paces behind her, Nate also lifted a six-pack and shrugged.

“I’ve got it sorted, don’t worry, big guy,” Zari added lastly as she trailed behind with a heavy-looking backpack and umbrella.

They had been taking advantage of the beautiful summer weather by coming here almost every day, hanging out till late and enjoying each other’s company. They liked it because the beach wasn’t so crowded here on sunny days. There were some rough shrubs and rocks to the side that kept most people closer to the water.

Today, they had decided to play a game of beach volleyball – mainly because Ray had sounded super excited about it and no one wanted to be the one to let him down, but also because they had been mostly just been lounging for the past few days, so they collectively felt that working up a sweat for once would be good for them.

“Are you sure I can’t just watch?” Zari complained. Collectively minus one, maybe.

“Don’t be a spoilsport, Z. We’ll be in uneven teams, but that’s alright because I’m gonna kick all of your asses anyway, “ Sara replied with a smirk and a flourish of her hand.

“We’ll see about that,” Ray piped up as he juggled the ball, eventually ending up flapping his hands about helplessly as it got away from him.

Once they’d set all their stuff down and Nate and Ray put up the net, they split up the group into two teams: Sara and Nate against Ray, Zari and Amaya. The match quickly turned fiery because as uneven as the odds were, the score line was anything but. They managed to play to a tie, even with three against two. It was around that point that another sunbather joined their spot, a woman who seemed to be by herself and who instantly attracted Sara’s eye – tall, blonde, toned and just about her type.

As soon as they’d prepared to start up again after their first half, she started thinking up ways to get the woman’s attention. _They did have an uneven team… maybe she could convince her to join?_

Sara thought the stray ball trick was a tried and tested classic, but the woman seemed less than excited about her execution. She had to admit she hadn’t meant for the sunbathing stranger to actually get sand in her mouth. She felt a little bad about the intrusion, although a bit less so when she was quickly shot down in her invitation. She wasn’t that easily deterred, though.

She’d already endured several jibes from the gang about how “we are trying to play here, Sara” and “is this really the time, Sara” from Ray and Amaya, to basically “just give up already, Sara” from Zari after her first attempt was a bust. Nate was the only one who had seemed to support her endeavours, with a pat on the back and a “you got this”. Giving up was not exactly in her vocabulary, anyway.

After another fifteen minutes or so of playing, she gave Nate a wink and threw the ball towards the woman with a force belying her small frame. It hit the woman’s legs, and when Sara caught up to her, she used her most convincing, flirtatious voice to argue that the boys were just that bad at playing volleyball and maybe she would reconsider joining?

Even _she_ knew she was pushing her luck a little, so it was not really a surprise that the second invite went down even worse, but at least she managed to introduce herself this time. As she trotted back to the gang, she was met with exasperated looks from everyone except Nate.

“Struck out again, huh?” he said, patting her on the back.

Sara gave him a pointed glare. ”Let’s just keep playing.”

It didn’t take long before Sara found herself face to face with the beautiful stranger once again – this time even more up close and personal than she had intended. _Maybe_ she had helped guide the ball in her direction and _maybe_ she purposefully didn’t look where she was going, but she would normally not be so clumsy as to actually trip. Not that she minded one bit in this case, as she ended up draped all over the woman in all her bathing suit glory. 

In hindsight, and to her excitement, it took just being honest and her best puppy eyes to convince the not-so-stranger-anymore, Ava, to join their match. Sara knew her friends well enough to know that they’d never make anyone new feel out of place, so after a quick introduction, they restarted the match from scratch and it was as competitive as if they’d all been friends forever.

***

It was a couple hours later when the gang plus their newest team member flopped down in the sand, sweaty and out of breath. Nate made quick work of opening the cooler and handing out drinks.

“What are you having, Ava? We have beers, more beers and water.”

“Water, thank you.”

Ava took a bottle from Nate’s outstretched hand before quickly taking a few large gulps. She glanced around the group as she drank, her gaze drifting to Sara whose eyes met hers right on, lingering for just a fraction longer than necessary.

“So, Ava, what do you do?” Zari’s voice brought her attention back to the group.

“Oh, I’m just a government suit, basically.” She didn’t want to, nor could she, talk about her job too much, and she’d found that that answer usually kept people from enquiring further – even if that often meant she risked coming off as boring.

“If this is what all those government types are hiding underneath those boring pantsuits…” Sara muttered under her breath. Amaya, who had mostly been paying attention to Nate next to her, quickly gave her a light slap on the arm before she could finish her sentence.

Ava’s eyes just seemed to bore into hers for a second, a smile playing around her lips. Ava was intrigued and not entirely un-interested in this somewhat obnoxious, but undeniably attractive woman. She seemed confident and strong, not unlike herself in some ways. Any other day, she’d have brushed off what she knew now were advances, but the sun, sand and time off work had made her a little bit more spontaneous than she normally was.

“And what is it you do?” she asked Sara directly.

“Oh, this and that. A little bit more of this than that.”

Ava shook her head, smiling. “Why does that answer not surprise me?”

Sara just grinned back at her before Ray interjected.

“Well, for a government suit, you’re great at beach volley,” he said cheerily.

“Thanks. We do have to keep in shape, somewhat. Plus, I’m on the department softball team.” Ava looked around the group once more as she took another sip. “So do you guys come here a lot or…?”

“Yes, this has been ‘our spot’ this past week while we’re all on holiday. Some of us used to come here a lot as kids, too. We’ve never seen you around here before, though,” Amaya replied.

“Ah, yeah. I don’t get to have a lot of holidays. Work keeps me pretty busy. I’m normally not even in town very much.”

“In that case, I for one am glad you chose this beach to spend your days off,” Sara said, giving her an earnest smile before shooting daggers at Zari for her muttered “I’m sure you are”.

Ava was momentarily caught by Sara’s smile - again. She quickly adjusted herself to move further in the shade as a distraction. “Me too. I have to admit, this has been really fun. So thank you.” She meant it, too.

She did, however, miss the look Nate and Amaya gave each other.

“You know, if you’re not busy tonight, we’re all heading to the beach bar down the road for a couple drinks later. Sara here’s a great dancer,” Nate said as he patted Sara’s knee with a sly grin.

“Is that so?” Ava arched an eyebrow at Sara, who just gave Nate a playful glare.

“I don’t know…” Sara said, grinning cheekily back at Ava. “Maybe you should just come find out.”

Ava just hummed in reply, eyebrow still slightly raised. She really wasn’t sure what to make of all this. She’d never had someone come on to her this strongly, nor this playfully, and it was a little hard to resist – as was that wide, bright smile from underneath Sara’s sun hat.

"I guess we'll see,” Ava replied eventually, trying to stop a smile from spreading. She told herself that she’d go back, shower, change, eat and then see if she felt like going out – she ignored the voice in her head that told her she’d definitely be at the beach bar that evening.


	3. Chapter 3

As Ava walked into the bar, the smell of booze and the noise of thumping music assaulted her senses at once. She'd never been all that comfortable in loud, crowded places and even then, it had been a while since she'd last went out in a place like this. She pulled at her dress nervously and tucked her hair behind her ear before making her way over to the bar. It wasn’t that she lacked confidence per se, or that she was insecure – this was just not quite her scene.

When she left the beach earlier that day, she had tried to tell herself that she wasn’t sure about going out yet. She had enjoyed meeting this rag-tag bunch, that much was true. They were obviously good friends and she was more moved by how at ease they made her feel than she'd ever admit. While she had friends of her own, she knew deep down she hadn’t ever let any of them in enough to be this carefree and easy and clearly trusting with each other, and if she’d let herself admit it, she envied it a little.  


On top of that, it had been hard to ignore Sara's flirting, which shouldn't have worked on her the way it did. For that reason alone she had considered not going at all. Sara seemed just a touch too smug for her liking and Ava was just a touch too stubborn to give in. But she had, in the end. It had nothing to do with the fact the woman looked great in a bikini – a perfect display of toned, freckled abs, arms, and well… other parts – or with her disarming, dimpled smile. No, she had simply wanted to give Sara a taste of her own medicine, so she’d not only decided to go, but had even chosen to wear a dress of all things – one she knew showed maybe a little too much cleavage and that she was maybe regretting a little bit now as she ordered a drink, feeling the bartender’s smile on her.

***

Ava took slow, measured sips as she turned back to glance over the crowd. The place was actually fairly decent for what was essentially a glorified beach hut. The drink was stronger than she would have liked it to be, but at least it made her feel a little less awkward. She soon caught a glimpse of Nate and Amaya out on the dance floor, the only two familiar faces she’d spotted so far. Before she could decide whether or not to make her way over, she felt a hand on her bare shoulder, followed by a voice so close to her ear that she couldn’t stop a shiver from crawling up her spine.

“Hey. I was starting to think you weren’t gonna show. You look… really great.”

She caught the scent from Sara’s blonde, beach-tousled waves before she properly saw her – she smelled like pure summer. And if Ava hadn’t been so taken with the vision standing next to her, shoulders now touching, she wouldn’t have missed the way Sara’s eyes roamed over her or the slight blush in her features. Instead, she just smiled to try and cover up her own warm cheeks.

“Thanks, I mean, so do you…” she trailed off, quickly clearing her throat as her gaze wandered downward. She inwardly cursed herself, knowing she was more suave than this. But taking Sara in properly seemed to have made her brain short-circuit. She was certainly wearing more than her bathing suit from earlier, but somehow looked even better in her form-fitting tank top and jeans. “Can I, uh, can I get you a drink?”

“Nope. My invite, my round,” Sara grinned as she pointed at the drink in Ava’s hand. “Another one of those?”

“Hmm. Actually, surprise me.”

“Alright,” Sara replied with a glint in her eye. “Be right back. Don’t go anywhere!”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Ava raised her hands playfully. “I want to see what poison you’ll be serving me.”

Sara just tapped her arm briefly with a “tsk, tsk” and turned towards the bartender. Ava took that moment to finish her drink, letting out a long breath as she set it down. She was determined to stay her calm, cool, collected self and not rush into anything here, but a voice in the back of her mind told her it had been quite some time since she had actual _fun_ and that she had a couple more days off – why not see where the night could lead? She glanced sideways to where Sara was paying for their drinks, her visibly strong arms leaning on the bar. It made her wonder again what she actually did for a living. This woman was clearly athletic, yet at the same time gave off such an easy-going vibe that it was hard not to be a little bit captivated. Ava shook her head. 'All that sun has really gotten to my head,' she thought.

A few moments later, Sara turned back to occupy the space next to her and handed her a long drink glass with plenty of ice, one that smelled sweet but most definitely alcoholic.

“One sweet surprise for a beautiful lady,” she said playfully as she took Ava’s arm. “Come on, let’s go find the others.”

***

They found half the gang at a corner table, where Ray sat nursing a fruity cocktail and Zari was attacking a bowl of peanuts, mouth still half-full as she greeted them. “Hi, guys.”

“Hey,” Sara replied cheerily as she and Ava sat down with them, Nate and Amaya joining them shortly after.

“Ava, you came!” Amaya said right away, seeming genuinely happy. “Glad you made it,” Nate added as he took his seat next to her, gesturing towards Sara. “This one here was getting a bit antsy.”

“I was not _antsy_ ,” Sara replied, rolling her eyes as she took a sip of her own drink. “Shut up.”

“You totally were,” Zari snorted. “Just go dance already.”

Sara shot her a glare while Ava smiled into her drink, enjoying the friendly banter that continued among the group around her. She probably downed drink number two too quickly, but it was warm in the bar and the drink actually tasted really nice.

In typical holiday bar fashion, it seemed to be golden oldies night every night. So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone when at some point, ‘Time of my Life’ blasted from the speakers.

"Oh, wow. This takes me back. I used to have a huge crush on Patrick Swayze," Sara declared with a grin, ignoring Ava’s raised eyebrow.

"Are you kidding me? Who didn't?" Nate replied. "I mean, come on! Back me up here. Ray?”

“I, eh…” Ray looked a little sheepish. “I’ve never seen Dirty Dancing. But did you know that when that movie was shot, temperatures were so low for the season that they had to actually paint the trees to make it look like summer?”

“Yeah, only you would know that. I bet the dirtiest dancing you’ve ever done was with your cousin at prom, standing three feet apart without touching,” Sara retorted playfully.

“Well, actually, at prom I was…” He was quickly interrupted by Zari, who gave him a friendly pat on the back.

“You know we love you for it, buddy.”

Ava just chuckled, her cheeks warm from the alcohol and the body half-pressed into her side, a bit closer than she felt was maybe strictly necessary. Again she marvelled at how quickly she relaxed among these people, and again she ignored the flutter in her chest when she stole another glance at the woman next to her. Sara and Nate had taken to singing along with the song – their rendition as bad as was to be expected considering their state of mild inebriation. Sara had definitely given her a strong drink earlier, she mused, and she suspected that’s what made her feel bold enough to lean over towards her ear with an “I’ll be right back.”

***

Ava tapped her fingers on the bar until the bartender finally made his way over. Sara, Zari and Ray had made their way to the dancefloor, busting out the cheesiest of moves, while Amaya and Nate sat this one out.

“Could I get two watermelon coolers, please?” Ava added a thanks as the bartender nodded.

She turned to lean against the bar as she waited for her drinks and let her gaze wander over the crowd, settling on the group of people she could envisage maybe, potentially, becoming her friends. A chuckle escaped her unintentionally when she saw Sara playfully dancing with Ray, who was almost two heads taller than her. She seemed so at ease out there, her movements perfectly in rhythm, yet just as perfectly carefree. Sara was a great dancer. Soon, Ava wasn’t even really listening to the music anymore. Her eyes eagerly followed every one of Sara’s movements. When Sara eventually shimmied over to her and pulled on her arm to drag her onto the dancefloor, it was all she could do to keep up with her – drinks sitting forgotten on the bar.

They spun wildly for the remainder of the song, the sound of their laughter drowned out by the music.

“You know… I had a whole thing planned where I was going to bring you a watermelon cooler and quote Dirty Dancing to you,” Ava confessed after catching her breath, earning her a smirk in return.

“Oof, were you gonna impress me with your geekiness? ‘Cause that’s totally hot.”

Ava just shook her head and smiled, sincerity in her eyes and warmth in her voice. “You’re adorable.” Her eyes went wide and she felt herself blush as she said it.

“Hm,” Sara mused teasingly. “Not exactly what I was going for, but I’ll take it.”

With that, she grabbed Ava’s hand and spun her around again, gently this time, in keeping with the song that had just come on. For a few seconds it brought Ava so close to the other woman that she could feel her warm breath across her face. She took in the summery scent of Sara’s hair again, but the moment passed almost as soon as it came. For several more songs after that, they danced, laughed, joked and stole more than a couple secret glances and touches. They hardly noticed that almost one by one, the rest of the gang had retreated back for drinks and bathroom breaks.

***

Ava hadn’t enjoyed herself like this in a long time. Or, better put, she hadn’t _let_ herself, being the workaholic that she was and that she normally took pride in being. She couldn’t seem to pull away from Sara, some invisible force physically drawing her in. They had been touching in some way for the entirety of the last song, and there was something inevitable about the moment they ended up in a near-embrace, eyes meeting, almost searching. The warmth from their bodies seemed to coil around them, between them, making it feel like there was no space left at all.

Then, suddenly, their lips were so close that they almost seemed drawn together of their own accord, and Ava shook her head imperceptibly at how well she’d been able to deny her attraction for so long before. When she felt Sara’s lips brush ever so softly against her own, the remainder of her defences crumbled together with any stubborn resolve she may have had. The kiss that followed wasn’t at all what she had expected – it was sweet, and so much softer than she’d imagine from someone as brazen as Sara. Her brief wonder about this woman’s hidden depths went as quickly as it came when she felt Sara’s tongue on her lips, and she found herself helplessly responding in kind.

Before this moment, she had _maybe_ let her mind briefly wander to the various ways the night could end up. None of them were like this – with Ava’s hand trailing through soft, wavy locks and Sara’s fingers gently on her cheek. She felt a spark that was almost too intense in its suddenness, but the look in Sara’s eyes as she briefly pulled back made her feel like they were the only ones in the entire bar and then it was all she could focus on.

The slight light-headedness that comes from drinking and dancing and making out made it hard for her to make sense of it all anyway, so she quickly gave up on rational thought. Without fully realising it she moved her hands just under the hem of Sara’s top, her touch soft over smooth, warm skin as she pulled the other woman closer to her. Sara clearly shared the need for their bodies to be even closer when she melted into her readily, both women feeling every movement together as they continued to sway, lips never far from touching.

It was all the clichés rolled into one – cheesy music, dancing, a kiss that made her weak in the knees and minutes that could have been hours for all she knew. But when Sara pulled back and looked her straight in the eyes, her gaze open, blue and deep, Ava knew she would happily live out every cheesy cliché with this woman.


End file.
